Herstory

These guidelines were created to help teachers organise their annual “Herstory” event in their school. The organisation of such an event aims to raise awareness about historical and current gender biases, discrimination, and inequalities in STEM fields through engaging presentations and interactive group activities. By educating students on these critical issues, this activity seeks to highlight the importance of gender equality and inclusion in STEM, inspire students to challenge stereotypes, and empower female students to pursue careers in these fields. Additionally, the initiative promotes an inclusive school culture where all students feel represented and supported in their educational and career aspirations.

The “Herstory” guidelines outline an annual in-school activity held on February 11th, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, to raise awareness about gender bias, discrimination, and inequality in STEM fields. The event features 10-minute presentations by female teachers from STEM and related areas, highlighting historical and contemporary examples of gender disparities. Topics may include the "Leaky Pipe of Women in STEM", exclusion from education, and stories like that of Mileva Einstein-Marić or Harvard University’s late acceptance of women. Afterwards, students analyse these presentations in small groups to identify discrimination and bias, particularly in STEM. The activity concludes with student presentations and an open discussion to foster understanding and critical thinking.

Organise an event where female teachers from areas mainly in STEM deliver 10-minute presentations to the students of your school on historical events and facts concerning discrimination, inequalities, and stereotypes within their respective teaching domains. Their presentations may include the concept of the “Leaky Pipe of Women in STEM” to visually illustrate and elucidate the gender bias issue within the STEM area. For example, consider inviting a female teacher specializing in Civil Economy to talk about historical events or facts concerning women’s civil rights, the exclusion of women from voting, the exclusion of women from certain professions, and women’s rights to obtain bank loans without spousal permission.

Another example would be to consider inviting a female mathematician or physicist to explore the story of Mileva Marić, Albert Einstein’s first wife (who was she? does anyone know her story?) Additionally, you could also invite a female historian to delve into historical events or facts related to the exclusion of women from education/engineering/science and discuss Harvard University’s history. “The Harvard Graduate School of Education was the first to admit women in 1920. The Harvard Medical School accepted its first female enrollees in 1945, although a woman had first applied almost 100 years earlier, in 1847”. Following the teachers’ presentations, the students can be tasked with analyzing the presented facts in small working groups to identify incidents of discrimination, gender bias, and exclusion, especially within STEM fields. They may focus on topics such as the right to education/higher education, access to studying specific STEM disciplines, unconscious bias in STEM workplaces, and violence against marginalized groups like black, disabled, elderly, and transgender women in male-dominated environments, such as STEM fields. After completing the exercise, students present their findings, and a discussion opens.